Opinion & Analysis
Ranking the 2013 major championships: The significance of each victory
When Jason Dufner gently tapped in his final putt at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, he both secured his first major victory and ended the 2013 major season.
Dufner’s cruise-control final-round 68 made the Auburn grad the closing entry on the list of 2013’s major winners, following Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.
Looking back at this year’s four most significant tournaments (apologies to the Tour and Players championships), it’s fitting to examine the significance of each victory within the respective victor’s career.
No. 1: Adams Scott’s Masters win
With his compelling playoff victory over Angel Cabrera at this year’s Masters, Adam Scott did two important things: The then 32-year-old shed the mantle of “best golfer without a major” and became the first Australian to capture the green jacket.
Further for Scott, who famously melted down over the final holes of the 2012 Open Championship, there was a significant element of redemption in the win. For the Australian’s confidence and forward momentum, the major win couldn’t have been more significant.
When Scott stood victorious, replete with his green jacket in the rain, there was a sense of order in the golfing gods’ universe. No other major win this was nearly so poetic or profound. Thus, Scotty tops this list.
No. 2: Justin Rose’s U.S. Open win
In the same way that Adam Scott rid himself of an unwanted epithet, Justin Rose’s last-man-standing-style win at the U.S. Open at Merion removed the Englishman from consideration for the best golfer without a major designation.
Further, outlasting a field of the world’s best, including the charging Phil Mickelson, and holing critical putts, the statistically poor putter’s week was truly inspired. Rose, who fired rounds of 71-69-71-70 at Merion, capitalized on the promise most golf fans first saw at the 1998 Open Championship, where he finished fourth.
His ability to get up-and-down for par at the final hole displayed a steely resolve more often association with another Sean Foley pupil. That, plus the entirity of the experience, from lifting the U.S. Open Championship trophy to the resultant whirlwind media tour, will make Rose a more comfortable and confident major contender going forward … and likely a multiple major winner.
No. 3: Phil Mickelson’s Open Championship win
Until a week before the Open Championship, it was widely believed that Phil Mickelson wouldn’t win in Europe and couldn’t win on a traditional links style course. The left-hander dispelled both myths with his Scottish Open triumph the week before the Open Championship.
Four birdies over the final six holes and a spectacular final-round 66 facilitated Mickelson’s victory at Open Championship, a tournament where he had only two previous top 10s in his career. With the win, Mickelson captured his fifth career major and the third leg of the career grand slam.
Significant, career-defining achievements, all.
No. 4: Jason Dufner’s PGA Championship Win
The winner of the final major of the year brings up the rear in this ranking. It’s not that the Duf’s hoisting of the almost comically oversized Wanamaker Trophy wasn’t significant for the 36-year-old. Rather, the other wins were narrowly more so.
Dufner’s major could mark a quantum leap forward for the runner-up of the 2011 PGA Championship. However, this remains to be seen, as the dip-packing waggler has only announced himself as one of the Tour’s elite over the past couple of seasons, it’s unclear whether he’ll win as many times on the PGA Tour as Scott (9) or Rose (5), and certainly not as many times as Mickelson (42).
Make no mistake about it, though. Dufner’s first major win is significant. It is redemptive, and it is validating. The wins of the three golfers who precede him in this list are only more significant as a result of the expectations we have for them.
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
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Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
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Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)...
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
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Mick
Aug 16, 2013 at 10:22 pm
Adam Scott was easily the most consistent performer through all the majors and thoroughly deserves the #1 spot
Matt
Aug 15, 2013 at 10:24 pm
placing Phil’s win at #3 means the author has no idea what he’s talking about.
Between the overwhelming agreement from even Phil himself that his game was questionable to conquiring The Open, and the bounce back from an epic 6th runner-up heart break losing The US Open…..Phil’s final round 66 at the The Open was the moment of the 2013 major season.
Tim
Aug 15, 2013 at 12:30 pm
I love Duf and his wife is HOT, but it was an absolute bore to watch him win. He is very introverted. Him and Furyk in the last group was a snooze fest.
Troy Vayanos
Aug 14, 2013 at 5:18 pm
I agree Ben, you got it spot in. Adam Scott’s win was very significant for himself and Australian golf. Justin Rose’s win did the same for him and his country England.
John75402
Aug 14, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I’d rank Phil’s Open Championship as first… it was pretty riveting to watch. I would also rank Scott’s Masters as second, because it was such a gutty finish for both him and Cabrera… then the deciding birdie putt was amazing. Justin Rose comes in a close 3rd… He was a rock on a Sunday when everyone else was falling away, and he just kept hitting superb shot after superb shot. The PGA was a very good contest, but the course detracted some… very straight lines, single doglegs… The course was beautiful and well manicured, but kind of repetitive. The quasi match play final group made for great viewing, and Dufner played amazing golf, but it was a little anti-climactic, partially because of how stoic he is.
All in all, it was a great year of majors and I can’t wait for the Masters to roll back around.
MB
Aug 15, 2013 at 3:45 am
The UK coverage hardly showed Phil until the 5 or 6 holes when he started his run, and once he finished that was it, tournament over with several groups still to come in. So while I agree it was top class golf from Phil to win on a links course, I wouldn’t describe it as riveting. The way that Scott and Cabrerra birdied 18 in regulation then went at it in the playoff, especially with Scott’s record … now that was riveting. So Scott for me a clear first, then toss up between Phil and Justin. Sorry Duff, you played great golf and totally deserved it but it was by far the least interesting major of the year.
John75402
Aug 16, 2013 at 10:21 am
Well, you’re certainly entitled to your opinion…
Nevin Wilson
Aug 14, 2013 at 9:03 am
I’d put Phil’s win first.
Henrik
Aug 14, 2013 at 4:47 am
It as been a great Majoryear with great tournaments.
However, Phil deserves more than 3d place…
Mateo
Aug 14, 2013 at 12:47 am
And the most exciting tournament of the year was The Players. The only reason I bring it up is because IT SHOULD BE A MAJOR.
Either have 5 majors or change The Masters to what it always has been……. an invitational. An invitational should not be a major. Augusta gets way too much hype.
I’m sure I won’t get a single reply on this one. 🙂
aaron
Aug 15, 2013 at 1:22 am
Agreed….The Players should be a major…I also think there should be more emphasis on more tournaments that arent majors….it sucks that we only have the intensity that comes with the majors 4 times a year within a 4 month period…I think we would like to see more of the major quality fields and excitement from the players
Mateo
Aug 14, 2013 at 12:36 am
The best major of the year was BY FAR Phil’s win at the BRITISH Open (hate when people call it “the open”. It’s the British Open).
I’ll call the rest a 3 way tie. Actually no……… I’d say it’s a tie for second between The Masters and the US Open.
The PGA was a distant 4th. It felt more like the John Deere Classic than a major.
James
Aug 13, 2013 at 11:30 pm
All of the wins this year were great for their own reasons and relevant to the winners. I’d agree with the article, but certainly think no-one played better (or to a higher standard) than Duffman. His ironsand distance control were especially amazing.
I thought the course setup at Oak Hill was AWFUL – sure it looked beautiful, and the greens / conditioning etc were lush and groomed to the highest standards, but the course may as well have been the same one played the week before at Firestone.
No variation in rough, fairway width, approach options etc, just driver/iron over the flag with boring 4 – 6 inch cabbage rough. Lucky the hole numbers were on the broadcast, as almost every Par 4/Par 5 tee box and drive was the same.
Huge Kudos to Duff though – his was just so solid and holed some great long and short putts under immense pressure whist Furyk and Stenson just kept coming and making amazing pars putts also.
Woeful course. Amazing Tournament. Great Win.
PS. I thought that one of Ross’ key design principles was to encourage run-up shots (Pinehurst No. 2(+1+3)?), Seminole, Pine Needles? etc etc.
John
Aug 13, 2013 at 10:05 pm
you got it wrong. phil’s OC was the number one major of the year. close second is scott becoming the first aussie to win at ANGC.
aaron
Aug 13, 2013 at 11:30 pm
Agreed…5 shots back in a tournament nobody including himself thought he would ever win….bettering the field average by over 7 strokes….birdies on the last 2 holes….no way the best major victory of the year doesnt go to Phil….then Adam then Justin then Dufner
ev
Aug 17, 2013 at 9:19 am
Easily. I’m really happy for Adam Scott, but his win was #2 behind Phil. Or at least 1b. We’ve assumed for the better part if 2 decades Phil wouldn’t win the British.
paul
Aug 13, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Lol. yeah, she’s a babe.
Winmac
Aug 13, 2013 at 8:10 pm
The moment he married Amanda, Jason Duffner is already a winner 😉